Customer care service is one of the most vital units in an organization as it deals with interacting with the client and other stakeholders. The impression created by the customer care agents determines their level of loyalty to the organization and the type of image it portrays to the outside environment (Tennant 3). The big question arises on how to improve the services offered by the customer care agents and the impacts it creates for the organization. Therefore, this paper outlines the method of improving customer care services using less detailed Six Sigma and statistical process control (SPC) methods.
SPC involves applying statistical methods to monitor and control a process to ensure it operates effectively. It involves laying down objectives, analyzing them, and monitoring a situation to get the end results. Similarly, Six Sigma is a method that can be applied to improve the functioning of a certain process (Tennant 8). Both Six Sigma and SPC methods lead to a reduction of wastes, reduce errors and delays caused within the process. However, they require skilled personnel, and sometimes it might be intricate to identify the situations that require these methods to be applied. Six Sigma as a management tool encompasses defining an opportunity, measuring the performance, analyzing the opportunity, improving and controlling the performance. For example, Qurat Restaurant is an eatery outlet that offers takeaway and home delivery food. In this restaurant, customers make calls to order food, but recently there have been complaints about the services being offered to them. Six Sigma methods use the DMAIC methodology in improving an existing process (Tennant 80). The first step is to define the customer requirement and the objectives that will be eventually achieved. In this case, Qurat’s customers complained that customer care agents delayed to pick their calls and responding to emails. According to DMAIC methodology, the next step is to measure the aspects of the current process. In regard to this, Qurat Restaurant has only 3 three customer care agents with a laptop each and an office telephone. The number of customers who call the premises per day amounts to at least 100 hence the ratio to customer care agents is 1: 33. There is an opportunity of acquiring an extra 50 customers per day if they could get adequate information about the restaurant.
Analyzing involves investigating the root cause of the defects and the cause-effect relationship. The cause of this problem is a lack of enough customer care agents, inadequate resources, and laxity by the customer care agents. Some agents felt overworked; hence they resulted in ignoring customer calls and failing to respond to their emails. As a result, the number of calls had reduced to 65 per day and home deliveries reduced drastically. The next step involves improving the situation based on the available information and data collected (Tennant 51). To begin with, at least four agents should be recruited on the premises to cater for the 100 calls and try to harness the opportunity presented by 50 new customers. Secondly, the phones should be increased to reduce the delay caused when the current phone is unreachable or there are several callers at a time. Thirdly, the agents require motivation to reduce laxity and avoid their responsibilities. Lastly, responsibilities should be distributed, for instance, 2 agents should be dealing with emails, other phone calls among other duties. Finally, the last step involves monitoring the improved process to identify whether the defects have been eliminated.
Works Cited
Tennant, Geoffrey. Six Sigma: Spc and Tqm in Manufacturing and Services. Aldershot [u.a.: Gower, 2001. Print.